After recent council elections, re-elected ORC chairman Stephen Woodhead yesterday outlined a largely unchanged committee structure for the next three years, at the newly-elected council's second meeting.
Cr Laws was appointed as policy committee deputy.
In the most striking change, Maggie Lawton, a scientist who recently stood unsuccessfully against Cr Woodhead for the council chairmanship, was appointed technical committee chairwoman.
Crs Lawton and Laws, the latter a former Wanganui mayor, were recently elected to the ORC's Dunstan Ward.
Doug Brown, previously the technical committee deputy, was promoted to finance and corporate chairman, and Michael Deaker, previously policy deputy, was appointed communications head.
Council deputy chairwoman Gretchen Robertson was reappointed policy chairwoman. Bryan Scott remains a committee head, after switching from the technical to the regulatory committee.
Trevor Kempton remains regional transport chairman.
Cr Laws sought guidance from Mr Woodhead about his deputy role, asking if he should ''buy a new suit''.
Cr Woodhead said the role was modest but agreed with remarks by other councillors that it was ''what you make it''.
Cr Laws also queried why aspects of the annual plan and some other longer-term planning were allocated to the finance and corporate committee and not fully dealt with by the policy committee.
Cr Deaker moved a motion that current arrangements be accepted, but that committee names and structure be reviewed next June.
Cr Laws seconded the motion, with only Sam Neill voting against.
Cr Neill, who previously chaired the regulatory committee and now chairs the objections committee, earlier queried aspects of Cr Lawton's appointment as chairwoman.
He supported the traditional approach of newly-elected members serving a three-year apprenticeship before becoming a committee head, he said.
Cr Woodhead said later that the overall new arrangements were ''fit for the purpose'', given challenges ahead.
Cr Laws said after the meeting simply doing things the way they had always been done was ''frustrating''. The ORC was viewed in many quarters as virtually ''invisible'' and ''we've got to change that perception''.
The ORC had ''far too many committees'' and should switch to a more streamlined, ''flatter'' structure, he said.
